JOHN PRESCOTT yesterday insisted he was not about to quit front-line politics, though he stressed that he no longer has any ambitions to lead the Labour Party.

There has been considerable speculation that the Deputy Prime Minister might not stand for Parliament at the next election, or might fail to make himself available for Cabinet roles.

But when he was asked about the speculation during an appearance on BBC 1's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Prescott, the Hull East MP, described it as "absolute trash by the papers".

"No truth in it whatsoever - I'm very happy in what I'm doing, I'm certainly happy working with Tony Blair and getting on with the job we have committed ourselves to do. It's just a load of press prattle," said Mr Prescott.

However, asked whether he would ever again stand for the leadership of the party, Mr Prescott said, "No.